More Than Treasure
by LullabyDust
Summary: Sequel to Captive. Captain Fai becomes obsessed with the rumored treasure of the Pasillo de Muerta and drags his whole crew with him. With a mysterious girl in tow and Commodore Ashura hot on their heels, what's at stake here other than treasure? KuroFai.
1. Treasure

Kurogane wandered absently through the halls of the _Phoenix,_ his mind just as lost as he was in this unfamiliar maze. He appreciated the freedom that came with no longer being a prisoner of the Starfleet, of course, but in accepting that his fate was tied to Captain Fai's he had still given up control in many other aspects of his life. _The Dragon _was one of them; the ability to command his own crew was another. He had no position, no rank, no standing. He was fed, quartered, and respected, but never obeyed. He was nothing more than a guest on this ship, really, or perhaps just a privileged prisoner like Fai had been. Either way, it was beginning to bore him.

Footsteps echoed behind him and he turned around to see Yui. Kurogane had been surprised to learn that he was the only one on the entire ship who could tell Yui and Fai apart without hearing them speak. To him it was obvious, though he never said why. If you pressured him about it enough he would have eventually told you it was because Fai was most definitely cuter- if he had been the kind of person to say things like that, which he wasn't, so all you really would have gotten was a stubborn silence.

"Anything interesting going on?" Kurogane asked as Yui fell into step beside him.

"Maybe. Captain Fai wants to see you."

When Kurogane entered the cabin- which was remarkably similar to the _Dragon's_- he saw Fai, Syaoran, and Sakura bent over the center console, plotting something on a holographic map. He noted with some satisfaction that Syaoran seemed much happier and more content now that he was back with Sakura. Fai looked up as he approached and smiled brightly.

"Ah, Kuro-tan! There you are! We've been waiting for you."

Kurogane had given up, for the most part, telling him to stop with the ridiculous nicknames, except for the really embarrassing ones like 'Kuro-cakes' and 'Kuro-bear'.

"What are we looking at?" he asked as he took his place next to Fai.

"A map, Kuro-silly! What else?"

Kurogane grit his teeth in annoyance. "A map of _what, _exactly?"

"The stars."

Kurogane closed his eyes. He had barely been here for a minute and already he was resisting the urge to strangle a certain blonde-haired idiot.

"Treasure," Sakura told him before Fai could dig himself any deeper into the hole of Things That Piss Kurogane Off.

Kurogane was not born a pirate. He was not raised a pirate, as he assumed Fai, Syaoran, and Sakura had been. But in the past few weeks, he had learned that while the life of a pirate was not for everyone, it just might be for him. He discovered that he enjoyed boarding other ships and fighting in hand-to-hand combat as he and Fai had once done- except now, he and Fai fought side-by-side, even altering their fighting styles to compliment each other's.

So when Sakura said 'treasure', Kurogane decided that he might not be so bored, after all.

"Not just any treasure, Sakura!" Fai reminded her, holding up one gloved finger. "Specifically, somewhere on this map is the infamous _Pasillo de Muerta."_

"The Aisle of Death," Syaoran translated for him. "Sort of like the Bermuda Triangle on Earth- almost every ship that's passed through there has never been heard from again. It's-"

"I know what it is, kid," Kurogane interrupted, frowning. "But Starfleet Confederation won't reveal it's location. They won't even confirm such a place exists."

"Of course they won't. Wouldn't want their precious captains running off in search of easy treasure," Sakura muttered darkly.

"That's true of any commodore or large organization, Sakura," Syaoran pointed out gently. Fai ignored the two of them and enlarged a small portion of the map, pulling it up into a 3D view.

"We don't exactly have to worry about what the Starfleet says or doesn't say exists. Using the information we already have, we've been able to narrow it down to somewhere in these three solar systems."

"That's still a lot of area to search, Fai." Everyone looked up when they realized someone had failed to call Fai 'Captain', but when they realized it was Kurogane they resumed their work. They knew better than to mess with him. Fai tilted his head to the side and smiled.

"Yes, it is."

"Why are we looking for it?"

"I was raised on stories of the _Pasillo de Muerta_ and the treasure that resides there. Recently a piece of information has come to my attention that leads me to believe those stories are true."

"So?"

"So I was not the only one who received such information. There's more than treasure at stake here, Kuro-sama. If such a treasure exists, I intend to find it- before Commodore Ashura or anyone else."

_~Ooh, cliffhanger! Sort of. Okay, not really T.T But whatever. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as you did Captive! If you haven't read Captive, please do._

_Also, a challenge! (dun, dun, dun) I'm such a sci-fi geek that I keep putting in references to relatively well-known sci-fi stories. One has already been caught by an anonymous reviewer. There aren't any in this chapter, but there were several in Captive and there will be many more to come. If anyone can catch all of them, and tell me what they belong to, they will get a prize… not sure what yet ^^_

_Reviews will be loved, polished, and displayed on a shelf. Reviewers will be given a free copy of Twilight and some matches to burn it with._

_Oh, and... no new chappie until I get at least five reviews! Already two people have subscribed but apparently both were too lazy to review . (no offense- it's just I always try to take the time to review and I feel like if you liked it enough to subscribe, you should review and say so)~_


	2. Yay for Fluff!

_~ We regret to inform you that today's scheduled plot has been canceled due to the author's obsession with other KuroFai fanfics. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you enjoy this fluff instead. ^^ ~_

Not that Kurogane noticed or cared, but he hadn't seen Fai in almost a week. Of course he wasn't worried, but he _was_ bored, so he figured he might as well check up on the idiot. He was always getting into trouble that Kurogane had to pull him out of- not because he cared about Fai, obviously, but because if he didn't then Fai would get himself hurt and the whole crew would never forgive him.

No, he definitely didn't care and he certainly wasn't worried, he thought to himself as he knocked on Fai's door, just bored. There was nothing to do on this stupid ship anyway.

There was a two- or three-minute wait, during which Kurogane attempted to further convince himself that he was only there because he was bored. He was just starting to elaborate on all the many things _The Dragon_ had to keep one entertained that _The Phoenix_ lacked when the door slid open, and out the window flew every argument to himself he had spent the last twenty minutes trying to formulate. His cheeks burned bright red and he tried to force the color to go away, but of course it didn't.

Fai tugged on his gloves, staring at Kurogane through a half-lidded eye. His hair was a bit more messy than usual, like he had just crawled out of bed- which was probably the case, because aside from the gloves he was wearing jeans and nothing else.

No shirt.

Fai wasn't as heavily-muscled as Kurogane was, but he was thin and lithe, with a slightly feminine curve to his body that made Kurogane itch to run his hands over his milky-white bare skin. No, it didn't. Yes, it did. NO, it freaking did NOT. Kurogane opened his mouth to say something.

"Kurogane," said Fai, stifling a yawn. "What are you doing here?"

"I was- I just…"

"Come in," said Fai, and before Kurogane could protest he found himself following Fai into his quarters. Fai motioned to a small couch against the wall. "Have a seat."

The door slid closed. Kurogane sat down uncomfortably while Fai rooted through a pile of clothes on the floor before settling on a white T-shirt and pulling it on over his head. He flopped down on his bed across from Kurogane. "What did you want to talk about?"

Kurogane had regained most of his sense now that Fai had a shirt on.

"Nothing," he said, frowning. "Just wondering where the hell you've been the past week."

"I've been right here, on my own little vacation," Fai said, smiling a little now that he was more awake. "You Starfleet captains get two months off every year while you dock, but there's not many places us pirates can dock for more than a day or two. We take our vacations on board, if we can."

Interesting. Kurogane had never thought of that before. "I thought we were looking for that _Pasillo de Muerta _thing."

"We are, of course, but right now we're simply traveling. I'm always on call for emergency. Yui can handle everything else."

"Fai, we're not even headed towards those three solar systems you pointed out," Kurogane snapped. Fai laughed.

"There's just something we need to pick up first," he said, standing up. "Speaking of which, there's some business I need to attend to while I'm awake." He took a step to leave, then paused, considering something. "You know… that's the second time you've called me Fai."

Kurogane grunted. "Don't get used to it," he growled, standing up and wondering quietly to himself why this was true. Fai smiled. Suddenly, something dawned on Kurogane. "You- you called me Kurogane earlier!"

Fai blinked slowly, surprised. "Did I?"

Kurogane took a threatening step closer, glaring. He wasn't sure why this bothered him. "Yes," he growled. "You did. Why?"

"I don't know," said Fai, smiling. He leaned forward and kissed Kurogane on the cheek. "I'm sure… it won't happen again," he whispered, then turned and left.

For a moment, Kurogane just stood there, frozen in shock. When he finally processed what had just happened, his eyes bulged.

"YOU SONUVA BITCH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Fai laughed and started to sprint down the hall.

"Have to catch me first!"

_~ *giggles* Don't you just love fluff?_

_Thanks to: Tameny (who was ultra-nice), Kinibop (who always has cute reviews), Mashiara91 (who is specific and constructive, which I always like), walkthedead (who reviewed only when I complained s/he hadn't, but hey, I'll take it!), ShingetsuXMangetsu (who asked for- and received- more obvious KuroFai. ^^ Also she has a really awesome KuroFai in the making- check it out!), and emeraldgeminideathboar (who shares my hatred of Twilight and has the coolest username ever!)_

_Scribbled Thoughts that I forgot to put in the last chapter! (For those of you who don't know, I handwrite everything first because I feel more creative that way. Scribbled Thoughts are what I scribble in the margins, usually at around 2 or 3 in the morning XD)_

_'I say Syaoran and Sakura used to be engaged (I said that in Captive), but they would have been, like, fourteen... Plot hole? What? Where? 0.o'_

_'The reason _The Dragon_ and _The Phoenix_ are so similar is because they were both built by Yuko. I wanted to address this but, sadly, I don't think I ever will T.T The reason Kurogane still gets lost is because he's too stubborn to learn the layout, even though it's only slightly different. XD'_

_'Tattoo?'_

_Hmm, that's all, it seems. Until next chapter, muahahaha! I don't do this nearly as often as I used to... *sigh*_

_Another five reviews for a new chappie? ~_


	3. Magrathea

"Where are we going?"

"Magrathea. One of the first planets to be colonized by humans," Syaoran answered as he led Kurogane and Yui down a hall. "_The Phoenix_ is too well-known here, so we're taking one of the larger landing pods."

"Why?"

"Well, because we're pirates, Kuro-silly!" exclaimed Fai, popping up out of nowhere with Sakura trailing behind. Kurogane grit his teeth.

_"Don't call me that. _And I meant, why are we going to Magrathea?"

"We've heard that someone here might be able to help us find the Pasillo de Muerta. We thought it was worth a shot," Yui told him.

"It's thirty light-years out of our way," Kurogane noted.

"Yes, but if we find who we're looking for, it will be well worth our time," said Fai with a smile. He reached the landing pod before Syaoran and keyed in his access code. "Actually, the only ones who really need to go are Syaoran, Sakura, and I. If you and Yui want to stay, you can."

"What? No, I'll come," said Kurogane before he could stop himself. Yui nodded in agreement and Fai smiled as they all climbed into the landing pod.

"Then let's go."

~X~X~

"Ma! There's two new hovercars in th' driveway! An' some folks walkin' up th' yard!"

_"Again?"_

"Yeah!"

Mae Sutner grabbed a shotgun and peered out the window. Sure enough, two white hovercrafts sat lazily on the ground, gleaming in the Arizona* sun. Three men were advancing up the front lawn- not that there was any lawn to speak of, since it was all red-hot desert sand- all in grey business suits and sporting the same close-cropped brown hair. She frowned and cursed lightly. "That's the third time today!"

"I know, Ma. I'm sorry," said Nokosu, stumbling into the living room. "Maybe we could move."

"It's not your fault, hon," said Mae with a sigh. Her eyes narrowed when she heard the knock at the door. She unbolted the front door and opened it a crack while Nokosu clutched what appeared to be a fat white rabbit. _"What?"_

"Excuse me, Mrs. Sutner, but we'd like to speak with your daughter," said one of the men, flashing her a practiced smile. Mae frowned and tightened her grip on the shotgun.

"I ain't been Missus Sutner in a lon' time, sweet'eart. What do ya want with Nokosu?"

"Just a little chat. She has some information we want, you see."

Mae sniffed. "Yeah, tha's what they all say. Hmph. At least yer more clean-cut than th' rest."

"What?"

The door swung wide open and Mae leveled her shotgun at them. "Git th' hell offa my property."

"Pardon?"

"You 'eard me. If you ain't offa this porch in ten seconds, I 'ave every legal right t' shoot ya. Now _git."_

"Ma'am, we're only here to talk. We don't mean to cause-"

"Five seconds," said Mae, cocking the gun threateningly. The man started to back away.

"Mrs. Sutner-"

BANG!

"Tha's right, you betta haul yo' asses offa my property! You eva come back here again I'll shoot yo' ass up wit' so many holes you won' kno' which one t' shit out o'!" Mae screamed as the men scrambled away. Before Nokosu had even started to laugh she had loaded another round and aimed at their retreating backs.

BANG!

"Dammit. Missed," muttered Mae crossly.

"That loud noise hurt Mokona's ears," whimpered the fat rabbit, and Nokosu stroked its head comfortingly, still laughing. Mae caught sight of another group of people standing awkwardly in front of the porch. She shoved another round into her gun, took a step out of the house, and aimed it at the blonde man in front. Almost immediately, the black-haired man beside him jerked him back and stood protectively in front, glaring at Mae like he was daring her to shoot. She narrowed her eyes.

"An' what th' hell do _you_ want?" she growled.

"I'm afraid we're here to see Nokosu, too, ma'am," said the blonde, all smiles. "Though it seems you're rather opposed to the idea."

"Damn straight," grunted Mae, tightening her finger on the trigger. But suddenly Nokosu was beside her, smiling, putting a hand on the still-hot barrel and lowering it.

"I think they're alright, Ma."

Mae looked at Nokosu and glanced at the group before her. She sighed. "Alright. It's about time fo' suppah besides. Why don' ya'll come in?" she said reluctantly. As she stepped back to let them file in she noted that two of the men were identical- twins, she supposed. There was one girl with them who smiled at Nokosu as she passed. Nokosu smiled back, but seemed more interested in one of the blondes. Mae sighed again as she closed and locked the door. "I'll go get suppah on th' table, then."

"Yay! New people!" the fat rabbit squealed, wiggling out of Nokosu's grasp and launching itself at the nearest person- who happened to be the girl.

"Oh, what is this? It's so cute!" she exclaimed as it perched precariously on her shoulder, wobbling back and forth uncertainly.

"Mokona is Mokona!" it informed her happily, then lost its balanced and fell back. The brown-haired boy caught it and the girl smiled at her again.

"My name is Sakura," she told her.

"I'm Nokosu, but I'm sure ya already knew that. Everyone does, it seems," Nokosu said spitefully, but then her smile returned. "You're a pilot, right? But so's th' boy. I guess yer here 'cos they thought I'd relate t' a girl my age."

Sakura looked shocked, but Fai laughed. "You're very perceptive."

"Mokona likes this one!" Mokona suddenly cried, leaping onto the red-eyed man, who growled in annoyance. Nokosu giggled.

"Mokona, come," she commanded, and the fluffy creature bounced to her and nestled in her arms. "What're the rest o' yo' names?"

"I'm Syaoran," said the brown-haired boy.

"Fai."

"Yui."

"Kurogane."

Nokosu tilted her head to the side, considering this information. "Syaoran," she said slowly. "You're that famous pilot who-"

"Yeah," Syaoran said quickly before she could elaborate.

"Hmm. And you want me t' help ya find the _Pasillo de Muerta,_ right?"

"Only if it's alright with you and your mother," said Fai, smiling. "We won't force you into anything."

Nokosu blinked. "Who, Ma? Oh, tha's just a nickname. She's not actually my mother," she said with a shrug. "Which means the decision is up t' me… Tell ya what, I'll make ya a deal. If Syaoran can beat me in a four-mile race on my aircrafts, I'll come with ya. Sound good?"

She looked at Syaoran expectantly, who looked to Fai. Fai nodded his encouragement and Syaoran grinned.

"It's a deal," he said confidently. Kurogane laughed.

"There's no contest. Syaoran's the best damn pilot in the universe."

Nokosu smirked. "We'll see about that. I'll give you three days to get used to my aircraft. I built them myself, so they're a little different than regulation."

From somewhere in the house came Mae's cry of "Suppah's ready!"

Nokosu's eyes lit up. "Yay! Food!" she squealed, and ran off.

~X~X~

_~ So my apologies for ending in such a random place. There was really no point in continuing this chapter because all that was going to happen was them eating dinner and then being shown to the guest bedrooms, so nothing significant. I am much too lazy to write things that aren't fun and/or significant._

_For those of you (although I don't think any of you have) who have read my fanfiction Safe, you'll recognize Nokosu. Yes, they have the same name. Yes, it's for the same reasons. Their personalities have the same roots and they are both very, very powerful girls, but they are not the same person. I'm still not sure which Nokosu I like better, but since I discontinued Safe I guess I'll have to be content with this one. I hope you like her!_

_You're going to get some lovely pairings in the following chapters, namely KuroFai (of course), SyaoSaku, and YuiXOC :3 Nokosu is fast becoming my favorite character, and I'm trying really really hard to keep the focus on KuroFai, so let me know if I slip up and start treating her like the main character._

_*Also, the deal with Arizona: I'm being extraordinarily lazy with names lately. Every name I have except for Mae Sutner (I think; for some reason that name sounds familiar) was stolen- er, borrowed. Normally I have names like Lagoren, Kiera, Delivi, Syisa, and so forth (PLEASE DON'T STEAL MAH NAMES! DX). Anyway, the point is, I decided to extend that laziness to place names, too. Magrathea is a sci-fi movie reference (can you guess from where?) and I named Arizona after, obviously, the state Arizona. It just sounded right. Here, Arizona is actually a small country about the size of Egypt, maybe a little bigger. I meant to address that in the story but it sounded awkward, so I took it out and stuck it in my author's notes :3_

_Five more reviews, as always. :) ~_


	4. BONUS CHAPTER

_~ I was going through my backpack the other day and came across this. Apparently I had decided a few months ago to write a sequel to Captive, then completely forgot about it. So I thought I'd give you guys a little bonus ^^ The title was supposed to be 'Restless' and the summary was "A sequel to Captive. Kurogane's used to being in control, but now that Fai's captain, he has nothing to do…" I might end up editing this and making it into a real chapter for this story :) ~_

~X~X~

"Get back here with my gun, idiot!" roared Kurogane, barreling down the hallways of _The Phoenix_ like a freight train. Fai sprinted ahead of him, laughing. He rounded the corner and Kurogane put on a burst of speed, frowning.

A blue-eyed blonde carrying a stack of papers so tall they obscured his vision appeared out of nowhere and ran right into him. Papers scattered everywhere.

"Yui!" barked Kurogane, not even pausing to apologize, but then he stopped. He picked up one of the sheets of paper. "What the hell is this?" he demanded. _"Paper?_ Didn't they stop producing that years ago?"

Yui turned a deep shade of crimson.

"They still make it by special request," he mumbled. "Captain Fai likes a hard copy of all his work in case something goes wrong with the computers."

"Huh," said Kurogane dismissively. "Where'd your brother go?"

"I- um- down the hall, I think. I don't really know."

Kurogane peered around him but Fai was nowhere to be seen.

"_Dammit,"_ he muttered before taking off running again.

~X~X~

Fai slowed down when he realized he could no longer hear Kurogane's footsteps thundering after him. It was no fun unless someone was chasing him. He waited a few minutes, but when he didn't hear anything he stuck his head back around the corner. Kurogane was hung up talking to Yui. How boring.

~X~X~

_~ The REAL next chapter will be posted WHEN I GET MY FIFTH REVIEW ON THE LAST CHAPTER! Ara-monster be angreh about that. Grr. ~_


	5. Cyborg

"Quiet, ain't it?"

"Yep," said Mae, nodding in agreement. She took a sip of sweet iced tea and set the glass down. "You goin' fer a walk?"

"Yeah."

"Bring Mokona with ya."

"Ain't much point. Her counterpart broke th' otha day."

Mae eyed Nokosu warily. She was wearing white gloves, a blazing red jacket zipped half-way over a purple tank top, and long black pants. "Ya sure tha's enough? Cold out hea. Only gonna get colda."

"I'll be fine, Ma," Nokosu said with a smile as she started down the porch steps.

"You be careful, ya hear?" Mae called. Nokosu raised her hand and waved in acknowledgement as she walked away.

_People think it's always hot in th' desert, but at night, it can dip below freezin', _Nokosu thought. The sky was a deep purple dotted with the whites of distant stars. She giggled to herself. _I'll bet Yui an' th' rest of 'em are shiverin' in their beds wonderin' what th' hell's goin' on._

She stretched out her arms as a cool breeze touched her face. When it didn't subside for several moments, she pulled off her left glove and held it out against the wind, smiling. It felt fantastic. She scooped a handful of sand and let it run through her fingers.

She stood up again and looked around. Already she was a good mile away from her house. She started walking again.

She was a good three miles away when it happened. Her right leg lifted in the air, slowed to an agonizing pace and then ground to a halt. Nokosu's eyes widened and she fell to the ground, squeezing her eyes shut against the sand her body kicked up. When it settled down she propped herself up and stared at her leg.

"_Dammit!"_ she howled, slamming her fist against it. All she got was the sound of metal on metal, a resounding _clang_ that broke through the desert silence. She shivered, and somewhere in the distance she heard the howl of coyotes. She flopped back down on her back, fighting the tears. "Dammit…"

Mae was right. It was only a little past midnight and alright it was freezing. She scowled at her right arm as she felt it begin to freeze up, too. The coyotes howled again, this time a little closer, but she didn't worry too much. After all, what was left of her that they could take?

She lay on her back for hours, staring up at the stars. The only thing she could still move now was her left arm. It was starting to frighten her. If her artificial lungs froze, up, too, she could die here. Without the Mokonas she couldn't call for help, either.

She was helpless.

~X~X~

Yui woke up early and got dressed before the sun had even thought about rising. He slipped outside and stood on the porch, stretching. It had been a while since he had been able to run. He used to do it all the time, but he didn't get to many chances on board the _Phoenix._

He started out at a sprint but slowed down soon to a casual jog. It was dark out, but the moons and stars shone bright enough that he could see well. After thirty minutes, he was able to make out something laying on the ground ahead of him. At first he thought it was a dead animal, and he started to steer away from it, but then he thought he saw one of its limbs move. It was still alive. Maybe he could help it.

He slowed down to a walk and approached it cautiously. When he was about ten feet away, he noticed to his surprise that it was a person lying on the ground.

"Are you alright?" he called out, stopping. He eyed the form nervously, waiting for a response.

"No," came a girl's voice, and Yui started with surprise. He recognized that voice.

"Nokosu!"

"Hiya."

He scrambled to her side and crouched next to her. "What's wrong? Why are you out here?"

Nokosu smiled thinly, and struggled to prop herself up with just her left arm.

"Is your arm broken?"

For some reason, Nokosu burst out laughing. "Somethin' like that, I guess."

"How does it feel?" he asked, helping her sit up.

"Nothin'. It feels like nothin'. Same thing with my legs. They're broken, too, you could say."

"We've got a problem if you can't feel anything. How far away is the nearest hospital?"

"I don' need a hospital, I need a can o' anti-freeze an' a better mechanic," Nokosu grumbled. She sighed at Yui's puzzled expression and unzipped her jacket, letting it slip down to reveal the metal arm and shoulders underneath. "I ain't all here. In fact, most of me ain't. This arm an' both my legs're machines, an' then some. They froze up is all."

Yui only glanced at her arm, gleaming in the moonlight. He had seen plenty of cyborgs before- in fact, he had guessed about her, from the way she had put her hand on the still-hot barrel of Mae's gun and the sound of her footsteps, but he hadn't wanted to seem rude by assuming.

"Do you have what you need at your house?"

Nokosu nodded, and Yui scooped her into his arms and started back. She was a lot heavier than she looked, but he managed alright.

"You know, Kurogane has a prosthetic arm, too," he said after a few minutes.

"I can tell," said Nokosu. "It chinks up every now an' then, just a bit. Mine runs smoother, but then it gets cold an _this_ happens."

"Maybe you need a new mechanic."

"Nah, I'm just complainin'. Mae does good enough, an' she's free. I'd do it myself, but I don' have the medical know-how."

"I see."

There was silence for a long time. Yui guessed it would be another two hours at least before they got back.

"Thank you," Nokosu said suddenly.

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there."

"That's not what I meant."

"… For what, then?"

"For not starin'," mumbled Nokosu, nuzzling against his chest sleepily. "Everybody stares."

~X~X~

_~ I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LACK OF KUROFAI 0.o It had to be done. I'll make up for it next chapter, I promise! *is shot*_

_I only need three reviews for the next chapter this time, since there was no KuroFai :3 ~_


	6. Hovercraft and Backstory

"You sure yer doin' alright, hon?"

"I'm fine, Ma," Nokosu said, smiling. "Promise. I got Yui here if I need help."

Mae frowned. "I don' like ya workin' on them machines when I jus' got done fixin' ya."

Nokosu slid out from the cockpit of her hovercraft and landed nimbly on her feet with a grin. "Ya fixed me up fine. No problems."

"Hmph. At least fix Mokona, would ya?" Mae grumbled as she headed back down the stairs.

"Hey, call Syaoran up, would ya?" Nokosu called. There was no response but she knew Mae had heard. She clambered back up and disappeared. A moment later her voice floated back down to Yui. "Hand me the sonic screwdriver, would ya?"

"What exactly are you doing, anyway?" Yui asked as he handed up the device.

"I built th' _Twins_ myself," Nokosu said, referring to the two identical hovercrafts that rested in the garage-like upstairs room. Both bore the name _The Twin Daggers_. "They're designed aroun' me, an' my advantages an' disadvantages-" she waved a metal hand in the air for emphasis- "so it won' work for no one else."

"How can you tell Fai and I apart?" Yui wondered suddenly. Nokosu peered at him over the ledge, frowning.

"If ya wan' some romantic answer t' tha', you ain't gettin' it. Both my eyes are machines, too, ya know, like Fai's. Th' two o' ya are a li'l different- hair cut, the way you smile, tha' kinda thing. Not t' mention ya hold yerself a bit taller- only makes about a centimeter's difference, but I can see that. An' I can see the optometrics in Fai's eye."

"Oh." Yui wouldn't admit it, but he was slightly disappointed by the matter-of-fact answer.

"You wanted to see me?" Syaoran asked, pausing at the entrance to the room. Nokosu rested on the edge of the cockpit.

"Yeah. Figured ya might wanna say in how yer cockpit is laid out. This is useless to me once I make th' changes, so you'd better like what ya get."

"Wait- you're letting me keep this?" Syaoran asked with surprise as she pulled him up with one mechanic arm.

"Like I said, It's useless to me when I'm done. Well, not useless- but I won' like it. Might as well give it t' a worthy pilot."

"What kind of layout is this?"

_"My_ kind o' layout. You figure out wot ya want an' get started. I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going?" Yui asked as she slid to the ground.

"I'm stayin' right here; I jus' need t' work on th' Mokonas."

~X~X~

"Mokona likes this one! Mokona likes this one! Mokona-"

_"Get OFF me, puffball!"_

"-one! Mokona likes this one!"

_"Don't you ever shut up?"_

"Calm down, Kuro-daddy!" Fai soothed, trying to coax the white Mokona off from where it clung to Kurogane's arm.

"Mokona- Mokona- likes this this this one!"

"I'm so sorry!" Nokosu gushed, flying down the stairs in a panic with Yui trailing after her. She grabbed Mokona and pressed the red jewel on its forehead, powering it down. It slowly released its hold on Kurogane.

"Mokona likes likes... this..."

"Sorry," she mumbled to Kurogane's angry glare. "I'm fixin' 'em right now." Then she dashed back upstairs. Yui lingered for a moment, flashing a semi-apologetic smile at his brother before following.

"See, Kuro-taco? No problem," Fai said, beaming. Kurogane growled his displeasure.

"Don't call me- oh, never mind."

Fai giggled and leaned across the table. "Something on your mind, Kuro-cakes?"

His breath was intoxicating, and Kurogane grit his teeth against the nickname. He prepared himself for the complete shut down of emotions he knew was coming. There was no right time to ask this question, he reminded himself. "Is it true that you were raised by Commodore Ashura?"

Fai's eyes went wide, and for a moment he froze. Then his smile slid back into place, but he shrank back into his chair. "Why would you want to ask that?" he wondered brightly. Kurogane regarded him, eyes narrowed. Then he grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him outside. "Kuro-sena, where are we-"

"We're going for a walk," Kurogane growled.

"Can I have my hand back?"

"Not until I'm sure you won't run from this conversation."

Fai fell silent at this for a few minutes. He looked around at the sparse, blazing desert. "It's hot," he observed.

"Yes. Yes, it is."

"We're not really dressed for a walk in the desert."

"No, we're not."

"Maybe we should go back and-"

Kurogane's grip on his arm tightened. "No."

They continued walking in silence until finally Fai whispered, "The answer is _yes._"

"What?"

"Ashura raised us. Yui and I."

Kurogane stopped and stared at him. He finally released his hold, but he put a hand on Fai's back. "Keep walking."

"Is that all you wanted to know?" Fai asked as they started moving again. He liked the slight pressure of Kurogane's hand pushing him forward.

"I'm waiting for you to tell me more."

"Who said there was more?"

_"I_ said. _You_ said, when you reacted the way you did. And you're _going_ to say if I have to beat it out of you."

"Would you really?"

"No. Talk."

"We're going to get sunburn out here, you know."

Kurogane gave no response.

"... He never really liked Yui. Not the way he liked me." Kurogane's red eyes flicked to him, but he still didn't say anything. "When we were six, he... took us on board. He never really adopted us."

"Why?"

"Because he's a pirate, Kuro-silly! He couldn't very well-"

_"Why did he take you?_ Why didn't you stay with your parents?"

Fai's hands twisted in each other. "We were on a cruise ship. We were attacked and... they were killed. I think... I think Ashura was the one who attacked the ship and took us as prisoners and.. but I don't know for sure."

Kurogane's mouth formed a hard line. "And then?"

"Well, there's not much to tell! He took care of us, that's all-"

Kurogane stopped suddenly and whirled Fai around to face him. "It's one thing if you don't want to tell me everything. But _don't lie to me."_

He kept walking like nothing had happened, but then he suddenly whirled back around and grabbed Fai's wrists. A flicker of relief ran across his face when he felt the smoothing skin, only a few traces of old scars left now. Then he tugged Fai along behind him without a word.

As the sun baked their backs, sending shimmering beads of sweat down their necks, Fai found his words bubbling up to the surface and spilling out more and more easily. Only every now and then did Kurogane pause to ask questions. Ashura's abusive relationship- in more ways than one- was not something he ever talked about, not even with Yui.

"How did you get to be captain of _The Phoenix?_"

"We just sort of... left one day, Yui and I. We talked Yuko into getting us a ship and picked up a crew in Tortuga, that fourth planet in sector eight. We gave most of our plunder to the Commodore and hoped he didn't order us to come back. I don't think he would have let us go if I'd asked. Yui maybe, but never me. Kuro-chu..."

"Yeah?"

They'd stopped for a moment, and Fai turned to face him. He looked like he was on the verge of saying something important, but his brow furrowed in confusion as he stared past Kurogane into the distance. "What do you think that is?"

For once, Kurogane didn't snap at him for deflecting and instead turned to face the hazy objects on the horizon. They grew larger every second. They looked like silver bullets, but as their shape grew clearer they looked more like thin, sleek knives barreling straight toward them. "Hovercrafts," Kurogane said in surprise. The design was unlike any he'd ever seen.

With a rush of wind and mechanic whirring, the crafts zoomed past where they stood, kicking up clouds of dirt and dust in their wake. Kurogane grabbed Fai tightly as much to keep the frail blonde from toppling over as to anchor himself in place. The crafts slowed and circled around them, settling lower to the ground as the darkened glass hatch popped off of one. Nokosu leaned out, grinning wickedly.

"Y'all are a good three hours out," she shouted above the noise. "Suns are gonna set soon; you'll be needin' a ride back!"

"Know anyone who might be able to provide that?" Fai called back, laughing. Nokosu grinned and turned to speak to Yui, who sat behind her. He nodded and clambered out. When the other craft opened up, Syaoran could be seen moving back to allow Sakura a chance in the pilot seat, and they both moved closer together to give him room. Nokosu helped Fai and Kurogane into hers and closed the hatch, immediately dampening the noise.

"These things barely seat three," she explained, maneuvering it into a hair pin turn and zooming back in the direction of the house, "an' I'm th' only one what can fly this thing." For the first time, they noticed that Nokosu didn't hold any piece of machinery like a typical pilot would; rather, it appeared as though she had plugged in her cyborg arm and legs so that the craft literally became an extension of her body. "Y'all were out fer a while; somethin' happen?"

Fai laughed gently. "No," he said. "We just thought to take a walk, is all."

~X~X~

_~ A/N: HOLY CRAP I wrote a lot of pages T.T_

_Well... long chappie makes up for ridiculously long update time... right? Right? *is shot*_

_..._

_Reviews? *is shot again* ~_


	7. The Race

"Alright, here's th' deal," Nokosu announced, laying a map flat out on the table. "Twenty-three miles north-west o' hea is a quaint li'l valley pass tha' goes by th' cheery name o' _Terliil Sella'ln Parril- _tha's th' _Valley o' Tortured Souls_, fer those o' ya what don' speak Arizonan. I've only been through twice now, an' th' last time was t' take Syaoran through yes'erday. Don' use it much 'cause it's easier t' jus' go over it."

"There's enough room for the _Twins_ to go side by side almost the whole way," Syaoran said, running two fingers along the highlighted pass between the plateaus, "but there's hairpin turns and plunges where you probably wouldn't want to do that at top speed."

Fai leaned over the map, taking in every detail. "It's a long run."

"Four an' a half miles, from... _end_ _t'end." _Nokosu had to pause and enunciate carefully any word that ended in a 'd'. "An' ya gotta be careful not t' clip anythin'- all them rocks th' natives done _piled_ up on th'edges topple over real easy. Near got me th' first time I wen'. Anyway, first t' get out wins." She looked at Syaoran with a grin. "Ya ready t' lose, _kid?"_

"Syaoran won't lose," Kurogane interjected. "He's the best damn pilot in the galaxy.

But Nokosu laughed. "There's more than one galaxy out thea, jus' remember tha'."

~X~X~

"Remember not t' take tha' one turn I... _showed_ ya," Nokosu said coolly, clinging to the side of Syaoran's craft. "It narrows down t' nothin' real fast. Can't tell ya how many times I had t' come down hea an' help pilots what got themselfs wedged in." Syaoran nodded, drumming his thumbs on the wheel in impatience. "An' hea, you take white Mokona, an' I got th' black one in case somethin' goes wrong."

"Alright," Syaoran agreed as the fat rabbit bounced eagerly around the cockpit.

"Ya all set?"

"Yep."

"Alright. Ma's gonna call th' start." With that Nokosu scrambled down and moved swiftly into her own craft, slamming the hatch closed and motioning for Syaoran to get into position with her at the entrance to the valley. Mokona opened her mouth, but it was Mae's voice that crackled to life.

"Git ready... git set... fer the love o' th' _gods,_ y'all better be wearin' yer harnesses..." –Syaoran shame-facedly buckled himself in. With a ship that generated its own gravity, he had grown used to never needing it. _"-GO!"_

The craft's response to his light touch of the controls was instantaneous, and he was thrown back in his seat as the _Twin Dagger_ sped into the canyon a fraction of an inch ahead of Nokosu. He let out a whoop of delight.

The first few curves were soft, and he managed to twist his way to the inside and push just a few more inches ahead. But then came the turnaround, or _loryin,_ as Nokosu called it- a part of the rock wall that jutted out and forced them into a narrow dead end where only one could turn around and continue out at a time. He was forced to brake to a complete stop and allow a laughing Nokosu to zoom out ahead of him. He followed, hot on her heels, and she kept to the center to keep him from passing her.

The canyon widened out to where the natives had once constructed red stone bridges to span the gap between the homes they had built in the sides of the walls. Now it created an obstacle course that had to be taken slowly to be safe. But Syaoran didn't slow down, even though Nokosu did, and he flew past her, speeding around the sharp corner and pushing ahead.

~X~X~

Nokosu grit her teeth as Syaoran drove recklessly forward while she was forced to slow down to navigate the obstacles. As he sped around the corner, the back of his craft clipped the wall and a pile of large boulders teetered back and forth dangerously. She wasn't close enough to hope to turn before they fell and instead jerked the craft in a hard left, spinning out of control. She could barely hear the rubble bouncing off the ship, dangerously large pieces that cracked the glass hatch. _The Twin Dagger_ slammed against a wall, throwing her around in the ship, and slowed to a screeching halt. She was wedged between the walls of the narrow dead-end she had warned Syaoran about.

The hatch was stuck in place, but she pulled her jacket around her vulnerable face and gave a strong kick with her mechanic leg that shattered the glass easily. The craft rocked side to side, and she cautiously climbed out and eyed the distance to the ground. Her eyes quickly measured twenty-eight feet. Her legs could take it. Nokosu grabbed black Mokona and jumped.

~X~X~

"Told you you'd win, kid," Kurogane said. Syaoran gave a pained grin as he was clapped on the back. He looked around for Nokosu's craft.

"Where's-"

Mokona's mouth opened and Nokosu's voice came out. _"Congratulations,_ Syaoran! Seems like I'll be comin' with ya after all."

"Thanks. Where are you?"

"Ah, I crashed in tha' li'l... _dead-end_ I was tellin' ya about. I was hopin' ya might come an' get me."

"Yeah, of course."

The intercom went silent and Syaoran turned to Sakura. "Sakura, why don't you go get her? I'll wait here for Mae's hovercar."

_~ A/N: Okay, two updates in a row. Does THAT make up for ridiculously long update time? Please?_

_Okay, guys, I really am sorry, and I hope you enjoyed these past two chapters despite the lack of blatant KuroFai. Don't worry, the focus shifts back by the next chapter._

_Quick sidenote: I hope no one is offended by the accents. They're based a little on southern accents, but **I am** southern, and I don't talk like that. I'm pretty sure** no one **talks like that. I pretty much made up my own accent for this, and they talk like this:_

_- sort of an Irish influence_

_- drops g's off of any 'ing' word (southern, duh)_

_- rolls r's (Spanish)_

_- double l's are pronounced like y's in Arizonan (remember that Arizona in this story is a country in the planet Magrathea, not a state in the US)_

_- drops d's off the end of words entirely or struggles to pronounce them_

_- occasionally drops t's off the end or middle of words_

_- if there are two vowels right next to each other (to end, the edges), they become combined (t'end, th'edges), especially with short words where the vowels are already dropped_

_- vowels at the end of short, common words (to, the) are dropped_

_- long 'o' sound is avoided_

_Also of note: Nokosu speaks nearly every language in every dialect and every accent imaginable. She uses the accent here to make Mae feel more comfortable. When the story leaves Magrathea, she'll drop the accent, so for those of you who have been bothered by this, don't worry! It's just one more chapter._

_Reviews make me write faster :) ~_


	8. The Diner

"Alrai din, wa' di ya wan'?"

Yui looked helplessly between the mildly annoyed cashier and Nokosu, who stood to the side giggling. "Jus' order," she told him. Yui scanned the displayed menu but found it was useless, as it was written in Arizonan. He pointed to one of the pictures helplessly and Nokosu sighed. _"Ilren sel rril. Dai-fee sel moi," _she told the cashier.

The burly man nodded and called back to the cooks. "In' ya?" he directed at Fai, who smiled just as helplessly. Nokosu ended up ordering for all of them, a fact she found hilarious. "Blady ailan'as," the man muttered as he stalked off to fill their drinks.

"Quit laughing. It's not that funny," Kurogane growled as he slid into the booth.

"It's bloody hilarious," Nokosu said with a grin. "We _speak_ Standar'. Y'all jus' can't get pas' th' accents."

"What was it he called us?" Sakura wondered mildly.

"Islanders."

"But we're not from the islands," Syaoran protested. Nokosu shook her head.

"It's jus' slang fer folks what ain't from this worl'. Most o' Magrathea ain't like this, but Arizona's got more natives than usual. Xenophobia gets passe' down, an most don' like strangers anyhow."

"You certainly don't seem to have a problem," Fai said.

"I ain't from aroun' hea." And with shocking suddenness, her accent disappeared completely. "I've been around long enough that people don't mind me anymore, is all. It helps to speak like an Arizonan, though, and it makes Ma more comfortable."

"Thank the gods," muttered Kurogane. "That was getting really annoying."

"Kuro-taco, don't be rude," Fai scolded, and Kurogane's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. Their server appeared with plates piled high with food that looked more like an abstract painting. He set them in the center and handed out empty plates before disappearing. Nokosu explained that food here was meant to be shared, not kept to one plate, and showed them how serve themselves with chopsticks.

"It's like how I used to eat at home," Syaoran mused. "But it was different when we went out to eat."

"We did the same thing when we went out, but I've never used chopsticks," Sakura admitted, and Syaoran reached across to correct her hold on the utensils. She smiled her thanks.

"What ship will we be taking, anyway?" Nokosu wondered idly, digging into something that vaguely resembled burritos, except they were green and she only ate what was inside the hard, fried shell.

"The Phoenix," said Fai. Surprise flickered briefly across Nokosu's face.

"A pirate ship," she said. "One of Commodore Ashura's."

"Yes."

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Yui spoke hesitantly.

"If that… makes you at all uncomfortable –"

"Last I heard, Starfleet gained quite a bit of information on Commodore Ashura's fleet." Nokosu didn't look up at them as she reached to serve herself more food. She bit into a dumpling and chewed thoughtfully, then smiled up at Fai. "No offense to Captain Kurogane, but I'm not exactly Starfleet's biggest fan. It just strikes me as a bit… _odd_ that a pirate I'd _thought _was captured by Starfleet, paired with a former Starfleet captain I'd _thought_ was imprisoned by Starfleet, are working together on a ship I'd _thought_ was being tracked by Starfleet. Don't you agree, Yui?" Her smile turned to him.

Yui furrowed his brow at her. "We're not working for Starfleet."

"So you still work for Ashura."

"No." This time it was Fai who spoke, and Nokosu's gaze flicked back to him. "We've never worked for him. Once a year we give him his due and he leaves us alone. That's as far as the relationship goes."

She studied him for a moment – her expression curious; his, an unfaltering smile – then glanced at Yui and smiled. "Well. We did have a deal, didn't we? I suppose it doesn't matter. Excuse me." Yui stood up so she could leave the booth. He hesitated for a moment, watching her, then, seeing her head for the exit, followed her without a word.

The entire group seemed to exhale all at once. Under the table, Fai's fists unclenched, and if Kurogane's hand didn't move from its comforting touch on Fai's back, he pretended not to notice.

"Is she… going to leave?" wondered Sakura. Fai smiled at her.

"I think she'll listen to Yui, if nothing else."

More than half the food was still on the table, but no one reached for it.

"How much of what you make goes to Commodore Ashura?" Kurogane asked suddenly. Fai flinched almost imperceptibly.

"About forty percent, usually."

Kurogane's eyes widened. "That's – is that… _standard?"_

Fai didn't answer right away. After a second, Syaoran stood up. "Sakura, why don't we go check on Nokosu? If she decides to leave we'll have to give her a ride back home anyway." Sakura nodded and followed him outside. Kurogane watched them go with a frown.

"It's not… _typical,_ no," Fai said softly. He traced the swirling designs of the tabletop with his fingers, eyes lowered. "But it keeps him off our backs, usually."

"Usually."

"Sometimes it's not enough. A bad year, or he's just not satisfied for some reason. Usually I just take what I can out of my share."

"_Usually," _Kurogane repeated again. Fai looked up.

"Sometimes it's still not enough."

He wasn't smiling.


End file.
